OT subject but worth a main-stream read- OT News Feeds...

lousubcap

An Op worth a read (frictionless conduit here)

https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4327639-election-denialism-nearly-shattered-our-democracy-metas-allowing-it-anyway/?email=467cb6399cb7df64551775e431052b43a775c749&emaila=12a6d4d069cd56cfddaa391c24eb7042&emailb=054528e7403871c79f668e49dd3c44b1ec00c7f611bf9388f76bb2324d6ca5f3&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11.27.23 AL Evening Report JB

lousubcap

And the latest regarding George Santos-

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4329393-johnson-speaks-to-santos-about-his-options-amid-threatened-expulsion/?email=467cb6399cb7df64551775e431052b43a775c749&emaila=12a6d4d069cd56cfddaa391c24eb7042&emailb=054528e7403871c79f668e49dd3c44b1ec00c7f611bf9388f76bb2324d6ca5f3&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11.27.23 AL Evening Report JB

lousubcap

Worth a read from The Atlantic-

Tom Nichols STAFF WRITER

Joe Biden is both old and boring. The American voter has come to expect celebrity and excitement from the White House, and they pay little attention to policy

I realize that to note that Joe Biden is boring is not exactly breaking news. Michael Schaffer of Politico wrote more than a year ago that Biden not only kept his promise to be unexciting but also “over-delivered.” My friend Molly Jong-Fast this fall noted for Vanity Fair that “[Team Biden’s] superpower, its ability to slide under the radar while getting a lot done for the American people, may also be its Achilles heel, holding back the administration from getting the credit it deserves.” She places much of the blame on the media—a fair cop—but I think a lot else is going on that has less to do with Biden and more to do with the voters themselves.

The deeper problem is that America years ago entered a “post-policy” era, in which the voters simply stopped caring very much about the nuts and bolts of governing. Rather than policy, they care about politics as a spectator event—much like sports or reality television—and they want it to be exciting. They want to root for heroes and heels; they want to feel high charges of emotion, especially anger; they want their votes to express a sense of personal identification with candidate

Biden can’t fulfill any of those desires. That’s to his credit, but it’s killing him politically.

As strange as this is to realize, our political environment is the result not of bad times but of affluence. Most voters are accustomed to relatively high living standards—even in poorer areas—because the world around them is filled with technology and services that mostly just work, no matter who’s in the Oval Office. The days of knowing which politicians paved the roads are mostly in the past, and today voters mostly draw connections from their daily lives to their elected leaders only if something aggravates them: If gas prices are high, then it’s the president’s fault.

Voters rarely have ideologically consistent views, but they generally used to care about policy. In the post-policy era, they care about personalities. Abortion seems to be the one issue that has risen above the “post-policy” problem, but it is the exception that proves the rule: The Republican assault on abortion rights is now so extensive and relentless that voters can’t help paying attention to it. But even on that issue, Biden faces voters such as the one the Times interviewed who said that “she strongly supports abortion rights—and did not realize that Mr. Biden does, too. She said that because states’ abortion bans had gone into effect during his presidency, she assumed it was because of him.” Once, we might have expected such contradictions among low-information voters, but when even partisans are confused, candidates face the problem that most voters are low-information voters—a natural advantage for Trump (whose voters rely on their emotional attachment to him) but an obstacle for Biden.

“He’s old” isn’t enough to explain all of Biden’s bad vibes. The president is only four years older than Trump, and he keeps a travel schedule that would grind me, nearly 20 years his junior, into the ground. Sure, he seems old. He speaks like an old man with a gravelly voice, instead of thundering and booming like Trump. And no doubt, the White House comms shop—with the notable exception of National Security Council communications coordinator John Kirby—could be better at keeping Biden in the news for his policy achievements.

But voters’ obsession with bad news even when the news is good is a global problem, and one that predates Biden. Americans, in particular, are susceptible to what the political scientist Brendan Nyhan has called the “Green Lantern” theory of the presidency. The Green Lantern, for you non-nerds, is a comic-book hero with a ring that can manifest almost anything he imagines, as long as he concentrates hard enough. Trump cleverly promises such powers: He claims that something shall be done by his will, and his fans and base voters never care whether it actually gets done or not.

Biden, however, lives with this magical-thinking expectation from his own voters. If Biden only wanted to, he could forgive student loans. If he willed it, he could stop the Israel-Hamas war. If he so ordered, he could reverse all prices back to 2019 levels.

As America heads into the 2024 election, Biden has an enviable, and consequential, first-term record of policy achievements. The calls for him to step down make no sense other than as a frustrated surrender to the politics of celebrity. In that political contest—for the role of Entertainer in Chief—Trump has a distinct edge. Possibly only Trump’s mutation into an openly fascist candidate might change the dynamics of the race as voters focus more on the threat he represents—and decide, once again, that boring is better."

Gulfcoastguy

Voters went “post policy” because the politicians never delivered on what they campaigned on.

lousubcap

If everything feels more crowded, that’s because it is. The world’s population has passed the 8 billion mark, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Humanity’s numbers grew from 6 billion to 8 billion since the turn of the century, after having doubled from 3 billion to 6 billion from 1960 to 2000. But the rate is slowing now as people live longer and have fewer babies.

A new interactive map (see it here) imagines the world as 1,000 people and divides them proportionally by region. The total U.S population is represented by 42 people, while China and India together have 355.

lousubcap

Tuesday Israel-Hamas update:

"The Israel-Hamas temporary pause in fighting was extended yesterday by two days, as the initial four-day pause concluded successfully following last night’s captive release. Hamas said it agreed with Egypt and Qatar to extend the pause “under the same conditions reached before,” while Mark Regev, the senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said “for every 10 hostages released, we’re willing to give an extension of another day, and if Hamas will release Israeli hostages as agreed, we will extend — that’s the bottom line. My understanding is that there’s still enough women and children in Gaza held by Hamas for the next 20 (releases).” Mostafa Salem and David Shortell report for CNN.

A senior Hamas source in Qatar said that not all civilian hostages are being held by Hamas, with some being held captive by smaller groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Hamas has managed to locate 20 people held by other groups, with half of them expected to be released today and the other half tomorrow. Hamas said it needed more time to collect information and contact people. Rushdi Abu Alouf reports for BBC News.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it has received the list of hostages due to be released today, and that their families are being notified. BBC News reports.

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel will fight with stronger force when the ground operation resumes after the fighting pause. “They will first meet the bombs of the Air Force, and after that the shells of the tanks and the artillery and the paws of the D9 (bulldozers), and finally the shooting of the infantry fighters, we will fight in the entire strip,” he said, prior to the the announcement of the two-day pause extension. Tamar Michaelis, Sugam Pokharel, Abeer Salman, and Eyad Kourdi report for CNN.

Arab states and the European Union agreed at a meeting in Spain yesterday that a two-state solution was the best answer to the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. E.U. Foreign Affairs Chief Josep Borrell added that the Palestinian Authority should rule Gaza, saying “it is the only viable solution, but it will be viable if the international community backs it. Otherwise, we will see a power vacuum that will be fertile ground for all sorts of violent organizations.” Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said the Palestinian Authority, who lost control of the Gaza Strip in 2007, has “been there all the time, we have 60,000 public workers there.” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock noted Israel’s absence from the meeting, which highlighted “deep rifts” among nations. John Faus reports for Reuters. "

lousubcap

Tuesday's slim Russia-Ukraine update:

"Storms continue to batter Ukraine, Russia and Russian-occupied Crimea Monday, leaving three people dead and causing chaos on roads and widespread power cuts.

In other news, drone warfare between Russia and Ukraine intensified over the weekend, with both sides targeting each other’s capital cities with dozens of drones.

Russian authorities claimed Sunday that Ukraine had targeted Moscow with dozens of drones on Saturday night, just hours after Russia launched its most intense drone attack on Kyiv since the beginning of its full-scale war in 2022, Ukrainian officials said.

Russian air defenses brought down at least 24 drones over the Moscow region and four other provinces to the south and west, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Ukrainian officials have not commented on the strikes.

The alleged attacks came a day after Russia targeted the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with over 60 Iranian-made Shahed drones. The attack began hitting different districts of Kyiv in the early hours of the morning, with more waves coming as the sun came up, Reuters reported. The air raid warning lasted six hours.

In other news, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the model of globalization created by Western countries has outlived its usefulness.

Addressing an international forum Monday, Putin said “it is obvious that the model of globalization, which was formed largely by Western states — naturally, in their own interests — has outlived its usefulness and is in a deep crisis.”"

lousubcap

Amazon flexing its muscles:

Let's begin today in the small, rural town of Bemidji, Minnesota, a place that seems a world away for most city slickers. But it turns out we all have something in common. Boxes. More specifically, Amazon boxes. But the pile of Amazon boxes is a bigger problem in many out of the way places that depend on the USPS to handle last mile delivery. The fire marshall in Bemidji recently visited the local post office "because the Amazon packages were stacked precariously high." Locals have seen their other mail delayed by days. And thanks to a package deal Amazon swung with the postal service, the system is breaking down. At least the mail carriers are... "Dennis Nelson, a veteran mail carrier, said he got so frustrated watching multiple co-workers 'breaking down and crying' that he staged a symbolic strike earlier this month outside the post office where he has worked for more than 20 years. 'I have to do something,' Nelson said. 'It feels like we should be wearing shirts that say ‘USPS: Brought to you by Amazon.com.'"

"BEMIDJI, Minn. — When Delbert Mikelson’s mail started showing up late — and sometimes not showing up at all — he blamed it on the opening of deer season.

“I thought my carrier was out hunting,” Mikelson said over a breakfast of eggs and pancakes at Raphael’s Bakery Cafe in downtown Bemidji.

But it wasn’t the buck hunt delaying the mail in Bemidji, a tiny town 100 miles south of the Canadian border where welcome signs are written in both English and Ojibwe and statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox tower in downtown. Since early November, Bemidji has been bombarded by a sudden onslaught of Amazon packages — and local postal workers say they have been ordered to deliver those packages first."

And an associated article:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/11/what-if-amazon-delivered-everything-you-order-from-anywhere.html?utm_

lousubcap

Some real world insights into the impact of the budget game that gets played by Congress and its inability to pass a budget by the start of the next fiscal year (October 1st):

"The Pentagon’s newest effort to prevent a regional war from breaking out in the Middle East includes ordering an additional aircraft carrier strike group along with air defenses, fighter jets and hundreds of troops to be sent there.

But the biggest hurdle for the Defense Department may be back home, our own LARA SELIGMAN scoops today. Congressional dysfunction means the Pentagon has no money to pay for the buildup.

The military, like the rest of the federal government, is operating under a temporary funding measure that freezes spending at the previous year’s levels. And because the Middle East troop movements weren’t planned, the Pentagon has had to pull money from existing operations and maintenance accounts, DOD spokesperson CHRIS SHERWOOD said. President JOE BIDEN signed the stopgap measure this month to keep the government open until lawmakers can agree on a full-year spending bill.

Because DOD had to hunt for funds, that means less money for training, exercises and deployments the military had already planned for the year. Some contractual payments could be delayed, Sherwood said.

“Current events have revised some of the operational assumptions used to develop the FY 2024 President’s Budget request. Specifically, neither the base budget request nor the FY 2024 supplemental request included funding for U.S. operations related to Israel,” he said.

“We’re taking it out of hide,” Sherwood added.

The buildup in the Middle East — which has included extending the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group operating off the coast of Israel — has therefore forced the military departments and U.S. Central Command to reassess the requirements for current and future operations based on the developing conflict, he said.

As of this afternoon, DOD said it was still working on releasing an estimate of the total cost of the U.S. support for Israel.

Top Pentagon officials warn year after year about the harm that temporary funding measures have on military readiness. Operating under a stopgap measure prevents the department from starting any new programs or paying for anything above the previous year’s levels.

That burden is now weighing heavier than usual on DOD, as the Pentagon supports two wars at once: in Ukraine and in Israel.

“We've gotten used to getting by, CR to CR, but it's with significant consequence,” Deputy Defense Secretary KATHLEEN HICKS said during a Nov. 21 event in Washington. “That has a cost. You can't buy back the time. You just can't.”"

No worries, the politicians will NEVER learn and for that the country suffers.  F' me. 

StillH2OEgger

lousubcap said:

Amazon flexing its muscles:

Let's begin today in the small, rural town of Bemidji, Minnesota, a place that seems a world away for most city slickers. But it turns out we all have something in common. Boxes. More specifically, Amazon boxes. But the pile of Amazon boxes is a bigger problem in many out of the way places that depend on the USPS to handle last mile delivery. The fire marshall in Bemidji recently visited the local post office "because the Amazon packages were stacked precariously high." Locals have seen their other mail delayed by days. And thanks to a package deal Amazon swung with the postal service, the system is breaking down. At least the mail carriers are... "Dennis Nelson, a veteran mail carrier, said he got so frustrated watching multiple co-workers 'breaking down and crying' that he staged a symbolic strike earlier this month outside the post office where he has worked for more than 20 years. 'I have to do something,' Nelson said. 'It feels like we should be wearing shirts that say ‘USPS: Brought to you by Amazon.com.'"

"BEMIDJI, Minn. — When Delbert Mikelson’s mail started showing up late — and sometimes not showing up at all — he blamed it on the opening of deer season.

“I thought my carrier was out hunting,” Mikelson said over a breakfast of eggs and pancakes at Raphael’s Bakery Cafe in downtown Bemidji.

But it wasn’t the buck hunt delaying the mail in Bemidji, a tiny town 100 miles south of the Canadian border where welcome signs are written in both English and Ojibwe and statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox tower in downtown. Since early November, Bemidji has been bombarded by a sudden onslaught of Amazon packages — and local postal workers say they have been ordered to deliver those packages first."

And an associated article:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/11/what-if-amazon-delivered-everything-you-order-from-anywhere.html?utm_

I've always found it hypocritical that so many folks at one time (and probably still do) complained endlessly about Walmart paying crap wages with no benefits and making it impossible for small businesses to remain viable in smaller communities. I can't really see any difference with what Amazon has done and continues to do and yet it receives a small fraction of the negativity. I avoid both if at all possible.

Botch

lousubcap said:

Amazon flexing its muscles:

Let's begin today in the small, rural town of Bemidji, Minnesota, a place that seems a world away for most city slickers. But it turns out we all have something in common. Boxes. More specifically, Amazon boxes. But the pile of Amazon boxes is a bigger problem in many out of the way places that depend on the USPS to handle last mile delivery. The fire marshall in Bemidji recently visited the local post office "because the Amazon packages were stacked precariously high." Locals have seen their other mail delayed by days. And thanks to a package deal Amazon swung with the postal service, the system is breaking down. At least the mail carriers are... "Dennis Nelson, a veteran mail carrier, said he got so frustrated watching multiple co-workers 'breaking down and crying' that he staged a symbolic strike earlier this month outside the post office where he has worked for more than 20 years. 'I have to do something,' Nelson said. 'It feels like we should be wearing shirts that say ‘USPS: Brought to you by Amazon.com.'"

"BEMIDJI, Minn. — When Delbert Mikelson’s mail started showing up late — and sometimes not showing up at all — he blamed it on the opening of deer season.

“I thought my carrier was out hunting,” Mikelson said over a breakfast of eggs and pancakes at Raphael’s Bakery Cafe in downtown Bemidji.

But it wasn’t the buck hunt delaying the mail in Bemidji, a tiny town 100 miles south of the Canadian border where welcome signs are written in both English and Ojibwe and statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox tower in downtown. Since early November, Bemidji has been bombarded by a sudden onslaught of Amazon packages — and local postal workers say they have been ordered to deliver those packages first."

And an associated article:

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/11/what-if-amazon-delivered-everything-you-order-from-anywhere.html?utm_

Thanks; I had seen the headline for that story but hadn't clicked on it.  Another example of the oligarchs directing what's left of our government what to do.  
During my last three years on Active Duty (Grand Forks) Bemidji became my Happy Place, especially the last six months or so.  There was a huge state park there that had a large deer/elk/moose population, a carpet of Showy Lady's Slippers and many carnivorous plants (which scratched my Macro itch), a peat bog with heavy tree cover that stayed warm even during the coldest MN weather, and surprisingly fewer mosquitoes than Grand Forks.  Shot a LOT of film there.   

lousubcap

Wednesday Israel-Hamas update:

"Negotiators in Qatar with representatives from Israel, the US, Qatar, and Egypt are working toward extending the current pause in fighting between Hamas and Israel, an anonymous source familiar with the discussions said. It is expected that if the current agreement is adhered to today, requiring Hamas to release 10 Israeli hostages, then the pause could be extended for another 24 hours if Hamas produces an additional list of hostages for tomorrow. Negotiators believe there are enough children and women held by Hamas to extend the temporary pause by two further days; then, talks should turn to men and soldier hostages, the source said. MJ Lee and Alex Marquardt report for CNN.

The fighting pause has entered its sixth day today as 12 hostages were released by Hamas yesterday and Israel released 30 Palestinian prisoners. A total of 81 hostages and 180 Palestinian detainees have been released so far. BBC News reports.

Israel’s former ambassador to the UK Mark Regev said yesterday it is “impossible to have peace with Hamas,” and when asked whether his country will support rebuilding the Gaza Strip, he said budget funding will be focused “on rebuilding communities in southern Israel.” Regev added that he expects international partners will assist in financing Gaza’s rebuilding, saying the money “doesn’t have to be Israeli money…this is not a war that we started or that we wanted.” BBC News reports.

The US delivered more than 54,000 pounds of “vitally needed medical supplies and nutrition assistance to the people of Gaza” yesterday. The U.S. Agency for International Development said it used an Air Force C-17 Aircraft to deliver the U.N. humanitarian aid supplies to Egypt, and that more flights are planned “in coming days.” Tara Suter reports for The Hill."

lousubcap

Russia-Ukraine update:  (Battlefield wise things are settling into the winter stand-off.)

29 Nov 2023

"Ukraine will forge ahead in the battle against Russia’s invasion, Kyiv’s top diplomat has pledged as he seeks to rally Western support.

Ukraine will not “back down” in fighting against the Russian invasion, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told a summit of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, even as its military locked into a bloody stalemate with enemy forces amid signs that the provision of weapons and funding is slowing and that the war in Gaza is limiting global attention.

“We have to continue, we have to keep fighting. Ukraine is not going to back down,” Kuleba said. “The issue here is not just Ukraine’s security, it is the security and safety of the entire Euro-Atlantic space.”

His entreaty comes amid fears that Western fatigue is setting in over the drawn-out war, and that attention and funding is shifting to the Middle East.

The United States, Ukraine’s biggest single-country donor, has sent more than $40bn in aid since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. However, some $61bn in additional aid to Ukraine is being held up by the US Congress.

Another $50bn package from the European Union is struggling to pass because of opposition from Hungary, leaving Ukraine concerned about dwindling resources as it heads into the harsh winter.

Despite the funding delays, Western leaders insist they will stand by Ukraine as long as it takes.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “every single NATO member expressed enduring support for Ukraine” at Wednesday’s summit.

He added that the US is looking for supplemental funding for Ukraine to be approved by Congress in the coming weeks.

As well as funds, Kyiv is in desperate need of ammunition, with the West struggling to keep pace with earlier pledges to supply bullets and shells.

The US is engaged in talks with Greece to buy $47m worth of artillery shells for Ukraine, which has urged partners to accelerate the delivery of ammunition.

The EU has so far sent Ukraine some 300,000 of the 1 million shells it promised, Kuleba said, but it has warned that it will not be able to meet the target in full.

However, Germany’s foreign minister voiced strong backing for redoubling military aid, urging for the formation of a “protective shield” that can block Russian attacks during the winter.

Winter stalemate

The Ukraine-focused NATO summit comes as Russian and Ukrainian forces appear to grind to a winter deadlock 22 months into the war.

On Wednesday, Ukraine’s military said it had fended off a string of overnight Russian drone and missile attacks.

The air force said it destroyed nearly two dozen Russian attack drones and several missiles in the nationwide aerial assault.

Russian air defence also destroyed a Ukraine-launched drone flying towards Moscow, the mayor of the capital, Sergei Sobyanin, said.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine has made significant breakthroughs on the battlefield for weeks as Moscow’s invasion drags on."

fishlessman

finally caught up with all the threads i didnt get to read over the tday holidays.  the thought that keeps going thru my head is after this war is over, how long will israel be chasing down the hamas on the run and will those released prisoners be on that list. will this go on for 50/60 years.......i did hear that israel sent out forces to qatar to take out some hamas leaders/contributors but that news seems to be swept under the carpet. if its true or not, i do not know

lousubcap

More from Vlad the Impaler Putin:

"Russia’s leader continues to profess his goal of annexing Ukraine. Vladimir Putin believes its citizens should be part of one “Russian nation” and a wider “Russian world” including other non-East Slavic ethnicities in both modern Russia and the former territory of the Soviet Union and Russian Empire, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War.  Putin delivered that message again in a speech Tuesday at an event known as the World Russian People’s Council. By his way of thinking, current Russian citizens and “all other peoples who have lived and are living in [Russia]” make up Russia, which extends to “Russian compatriots” in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.  Why it matters: “Putin’s articulation of a Russian nation (including Ukrainians and dominated by Moscow) reiterates longstanding Kremlin justifications for its invasion of Ukraine and aggression toward its neighbors,” ISW writes; “and Putin’s claim that ‘western Russophobia’ affects all the ethnicities in the Russian state is likely intended to rally support among Russian citizens who are not ethnically Russian for Putin’s war.” Putin’s navy, meanwhile, announced new cruise missile strikes on UkraineWednesday. Kyiv says it shot down two of those three missiles, and an additional 21 Iranian-made drones from Russia. Reuters has a bit more on all that, here. "

lousubcap

To say that I am disappointed by Governor Sununu's postion (see below) is a gross understatement.  I have heard him challenge CHEETO many times over the past few years as mentioned in the article emphasizing CHEETO is a several time loser.  Now this-

From Tom Nichols of The Atlantic-

Career Over Country (Alon Skuy / Getty)   View in browser Breaking up, Neil Sedaka told us many years ago, is hard to do. But it shouldn’t be impossible. When a Republican governor describes Donald Trump as a “three-time loser,” warns that the party will lose “up and down the ballot” if Trump is the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, and calls the former president “**** crazy,” it’s easy to imagine a responsible politician who has packed his bags and is waiting on the steps of the GOP’s Delta House for his taxi back to the world of sensible adults. Governor Chris Sununu of New Hampshire, however, is not such a politician. Sununu gained a lot of media attention and applause from the Never Trump Republicans for being one of the former president’s most brutal critics. But now that Trump is all but inevitable as the GOP nominee, Sununu is bashing Joe Biden and embracing Trump as the lesser of two evils. “Did you see [Trump’s] last visit to New Hampshire?” Sununu said to reporters earlier this month. “He was comparing himself to Nelson Mandela and talking about Jesus Christ being speaker of the House—it was kooky talk … He sounds almost as bad as Joe Biden.” Almost as bad as Joe Biden? I will be the first to note, as I did here, that Biden’s reputation as a walking gaffe hazard is well deserved. He gets carried away, embellishes, and remembers things that didn’t happen (a sign, I think, more of his penchant for self-important Irish blarneying than of his age). He spent his life as a senator; senators talk a lot, and sometimes they say dumb stuff. But to compare Biden’s blunders to Trump’s derangement is inane. Trump’s mind often slips the surly bonds of Earth: He has claimed that he won all 50 states in the 2020 election, invented people who invariably call him “sir,” lied endlessly about an astonishing number of things, embraced the QAnon conspiracy theories, and, as Sununu himself admits, compared himself to Jesus Christ. Biden is a competent politician who sometimes stumbles or goes off the rails in his public statements. Trump is a disturbed, emotionally disordered person who, in Liz Cheney’s words, is “the most dangerous man ever to inhabit the Oval Office.” So why is Sununu going to vote for Trump? Because Republicans have to win. That’s it. “I just want Republicans to win,” Sununu told Puck’s Tara Palmeri in a podcast released yesterday. “That’s all I care about.” Perhaps if Sununu had been forced from office or personally threatened by Trump supporters, he might feel differently—or at least be less inclined to stand for such mindless hyper-partisanship. Or perhaps not. Peter Meijer, the former GOP representative from Michigan who was primaried out of Congress and harassed because of his vote to impeach Trump a second time, has endured far worse than Sununu, and yet he, too, is backing Trump again. Meijer is running for one of Michigan’s U.S. Senate seats, and he seems to be trying to mollify the MAGA church long enough to carry a statewide election. Meijer, like Sununu, is laying his more-in-sorrow-than-anger shtick on the incumbent: “My overarching goal is to make Joe Biden a one-term president,” he toldAdam Wren at Politico. We could mine the statements of other Republicans for similar pyrite nuggets of shiny Trump criticism that amount to nothing. (Even Nikki Haley can bring herself to say only that Trump was the right guy at the right time—but now is the wrong time.) None of them, I would argue, really believes that Biden is a worse president than Trump was, and they all know the danger of a second Trump term. So why would they bend the knee one more time? The Republicans coming back to Trump are driven by two factors: ambition and delusion. Ambition is the easiest motive to explain. Mitt Romney, at 76 years old, is retiring: He can afford to say that he might vote for a Democrat rather than enable Trump again. He’s had it with his Republican colleagues and he wants to go home. But Haley is 51, Sununu is 49, and Meijer is 35. None of these people is ready, in Washington vernacular, to go spend more time with their family. They all probably expected Trump to be disgraced and driven from public life by now, and they had plans for their own future. They did not grasp that disgrace, in today’s GOP, is a fundraising opportunity, not a disqualification from office. Numbed by opportunism, many Republicans will simply hunker down and try to survive the next five years. They’re all sure that, after that, it’ll be their time, and they will triumphantly cobble together a new GOP coalition out of independents, moderate Republicans, and what’s left of the MAGA vote, gaining that last group by assuring Trump’s base that no matter what they may have said about their idol, at least they never went over the fence and voted for a Democrat. But these ambitious Republicans are also under a self-serving delusion that the next Trump term will be something like the first Trump term. They assume that adults will somehow restrain Trump and that the nation will function more or less normally while Trump goes off to his beloved rallies. They are committed to the fantasy that four more years of a mad king will be akin to weathering one more passing storm. (They have also likely convinced themselves, as Haley did while working for Trump, that they can best limit the damage by being in the mix of GOP politics, rather than by being excommunicated.) This dream narrative ends with the normal Republicans emerging from their tornado shelters, surveying some limited and reparable damage, and restoring the center-right, conservative kingdom. President Haley or Senator Meijer will get the GOP back to cutting taxes and erasing government regulations, all while mending fences with millions of people who were horrified by the violence and madness of Trumpism. None of that is going to happen. Trump has made it clear that he has no regrets about any ghastly thing he did as president, that as president again he will bring a legion of goons and cronies with him into the White House (including seditionists and rioters whom he will pardon and release from jail), and that he fully intends to finish the job of burning down American democracy. Politicians such as Sununu or Meijer know all of this, but they apparently think they will remain untouched by it. They have put their party and their personal fortunes over their allegiance to the Constitution, perhaps hoping that they will at least have a chance to rule over whatever is left in the ashes of the republic. Hopefully he will endorse someone else.  But the Power Game rings true.  When in Power, stay in power regardless of the consequences.  F' me.

lousubcap

And some strange bedfellows here-

Saudi Arabia is dangling economic investment in the sanctions-stricken economy of Iran, its longtime regional rival. There is however one string attached: Tehran must not encourage regional escalation of the Israel-Hamas war. Ever since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, Riyadh has proposed that the Islamic Republic restrain its proxies in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria. It’s unclear how seriously Iran has taken these overtures, but the conciliatory tone signals a step forward for two countries which have long vied for geopolitical power in the Middle East. Alongside Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s outreach, Saudi Arabia has also been working with Arab allies and the US to stop Iran from “weaponizing” the conflict."

Saudi Arabia is about 90% Sunni Muslim and Iran around 90% Shia Muslim.  Palestinians are predominantly Sunni followers.  

Gulfcoastguy

And the CIA and Pakistan thought that they could control the Taliban. Even if they truly wanted to I doubt Iran could leash their creations. And they don’t want to.

lousubcap

Thursday Israel-Hamas update:

"Israel and Hamas struck a last-minute agreement to extend the fighting pause for another day. “In light of the mediators’ efforts to continue the process of releasing the hostages and subject to the terms of the framework, the operational pause will continue,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said yesterday, just minutes before the existing deal was due to expire. Hamas also confirmed the pause would continue for a seventh day. Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Mohammed Salem, and Humeyra Pamuk report for Reuters.

Two Palestinian attackers opened fire at a bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem this morning, killing three people and wounding eight others, Israeli police have confirmed. “The terrorists arrived at the scene by car in the morning, armed with an M-16 rifle and a handgun…the terrorists began shooting at civilians before subsequently being killed at the scene,” the police said. Israeli Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz wrote in a post on X that “this attack is further proof for our commitment to continue fighting with strength and determination against the murderous terrorism that threatens our citizens.” Arbi Rabinovitch reports for Reuters.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said yesterday that the U.N. Security Council should “revitalize the political prospects of the two-state solution with stronger determination,” and that the lack of a Palestinian state is “the crux of the repeated turbulence in the Palestinian-Isareli situation.” Wang added that “the right of the Palestinian people to statehood, their right to existence and their right of return, has long been ignored.” Wang made clear that the Security Council should “shoulder its responsibility on major issues of war and peace,” although he did not specify what specific action he wanted the Council to take. Michael Weissenstien reports for AP News."

lousubcap

Thursday Russia-Ukraine update:

"U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba yesterday in Brussels on the sidelines of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting.Both officials discussed recent battlefield developments and the Dec. 6-7 Defense Industrial Base Conference in Washington, which will endorse the production of military supplies for Ukraine by the creation of U.S. businesses. Blinken congratulated Ukraine on its recent anti-corruption reforms and “underscored the United States’ enduring support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Blinken confirmed that NATO allies have “unwavering” support for Ukraine and urged top Western diplomats to “continue to support ensuring Russia’s war of aggression remains a strategic failure.” The comments were made at yesterday’s NATO ministerial meeting, with Blinken adding that he expected President Biden’s request for $61.4 billion in additional Ukraine aid would receive congressional approval. “What I continue to see, what I continue to hear, is strong bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress for Ukraine,” he said. Lara Jakes and Michael Crowley report for the New York Times.

Russian missile strikes have injured 10 people and left several unaccounted for in Donetsk, Ukrainian officials said, as attacks intensify in the embattled eastern region.

The attacks come as Russia steps up the fighting in Donetsk, of which it occupies most parts and says it intends to take over completely.

Some of the most intense fighting in recent weeks has been waged in the front-line town of Avdiivka.

On Wednesday, Russia said it had captured another contested village in the Donetsk region – Khromove – in what would be a rare advance after weeks of mostly gridlock.

Ukrainian officials offered no comment but said Moscow’s forces were suffering heavy losses while launching fierce attacks.

Ukrainian military spokesperson Oleksandr Shtupun said Russia’s attacks were growing more intense, with air strikes doubling and waves of up to 20 armoured vehicles pushing towards Ukrainian lines. However, he insisted Ukraine was repelling the assaults.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine has made significant breakthroughs on the battlefield for weeks as Moscow’s invasion drags into the 22nd month. Ukraine, which has counted on aid and ammunition from Western allies, is pushing its backers to keep up the support amid funding delays from the United States and Europe.

“We have to continue, we have to keep fighting. Ukraine is not going to back down,” Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs, said at a summit of NATO ministers in Brussels on Wednesday."

lousubcap

Friday Israel-Hamas update:

"War has resumed in Gaza as 35 people were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli airstrikes just two hours after the fighting pause agreement ended, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Intensive bombardment was reported in southern Gaza, and Palestinian civilians were seen fleeing for shelter. “With the resumption of fighting we emphasize: The Israeli government is committed to achieving the goals of the war – to free our hostages, to eliminate Hamas, and to ensure that Gaza will never pose a threat to the residents of Israel,” the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. It added that Hamas “violated” the agreement and did not meet “its obligation to release all of the women hostages today,” also accusing the group of launching “rockets at Israeli citizens.” Hamas said Israel is responsible for ending the pause agreement, saying it refused “throughout the night to accept all offers to release other detainees.”   A source familiar with the negotiations said Hamas believes Israel blocked fuel to North Gaza. Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Suhaib Salem report for Reuters.

Israel learned of Hamas’ attack plan over one year ago, according to a 40-page Israeli document code-named “Jericho Wall,” which outlined in precise detail the invasion and ground assault Hamas carried out on Oct. 7. The translated document did not set a date for Hamas’ operational plans, but laid out a blueprint for overwhelming the Gaza Strip, invading Israeli cities, using drones and a barrage of rockets, and storming key military infrastructure, including a division headquarters. Hamas followed this blueprint closely on Oct. 7. The document was circulated among Israeli intelligence leaders, who determined  the scale of such an attack was beyond Hamas’ capabilities. Last year, an analyst in Israel’s signal intelligence agency warned that Hamas carried out a training exercise matching “the content of Jericho Wall” which was “a plan designed to start a war,” according to the email exchange. Ronen Bergmen and Adam Goldman report for the New York Times."

lousubcap

Friday Russia-Ukraine update: (slim amount of information being broadcast.)

"A Russian general has been killed after being blown up on a mine in Ukraine on Wednesday afternoon, it has been reported. Maj-Gen Vladimi Zavadsky was deputy commander of the 14th army corps. Details of the incident including exact location or information of other casualties remains unknown. Zavadasky’s death, if confirmed, it would mark the seventh death of a Russian general who has died in the conflict. Robert Greenall reports for BBC News.

A fire that ripped through a train traveling through a rail tunnel in eastern Russia was due to “four explosive devices” planted by the Ukrainian Security Service, a Ukrainian defense source has said. The explosion “is yet another successful special operation” by Ukraine’s defense force, the source added. Russia has not blamed the attack on Ukraine yet and has instead categorized it as a “cargo train fire.” Victoria Butenko, Maria Kostenko, and Anna Chernova report for CNN."

lousubcap

Hopefully this works as the test run was successful-

Teaser-

"When you're in the shirt laundering business, margins are tight enough to give you ring around the collar. "Few people understand the shirt's transformation from dirty to clean, which at Kingbridge Cleaners & Tailors will run you $6. Kingbridge, with stores in Brooklyn and Manhattan, makes a profit of about 13 cents from a single laundered shirt, after the cost of labor, utilities, rent, insurance, supplies and administration."

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/nyregion/nyc-costs-shirt-laundry.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ck0.tbHg.nzFgvYFqu7dB&smid=nytcore-android-share&utm_

fishlessman

lousubcap said:

Hopefully this works as the test run was successful-

Teaser-

"When you're in the shirt laundering business, margins are tight enough to give you ring around the collar. "Few people understand the shirt's transformation from dirty to clean, which at Kingbridge Cleaners & Tailors will run you $6. Kingbridge, with stores in Brooklyn and Manhattan, makes a profit of about 13 cents from a single laundered shirt, after the cost of labor, utilities, rent, insurance, supplies and administration."

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/nyregion/nyc-costs-shirt-laundry.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ck0.tbHg.nzFgvYFqu7dB&smid=nytcore-android-share&utm_

There's not lousubcap said:

Hopefully this works as the test run was successful-

Teaser-

"When you're in the shirt laundering business, margins are tight enough to give you ring around the collar. "Few people understand the shirt's transformation from dirty to clean, which at Kingbridge Cleaners & Tailors will run you $6. Kingbridge, with stores in Brooklyn and Manhattan, makes a profit of about 13 cents from a single laundered shirt, after the cost of labor, utilities, rent, insurance, supplies and administration."

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/30/nyregion/nyc-costs-shirt-laundry.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Ck0.tbHg.nzFgvYFqu7dB&smid=nytcore-android-share&utm_

There's ways to cheat the profit system in a laundry, put your no show wife on as an employee with a big paycheck. Was in a lawsuit with a company filing bankrupsy while taking a paycut, his wife got a huge raise as an employee while things went down and he stopped taking a paycheck. He actually  filed paperwork on how he could save the company. Waiting for money from a prince in Nigeria, sell the boat, win mega bucks, etc

lousubcap

Monday Israel-Hamas update:

"Israel has found 800 shafts leading to Hamas’ network of tunnels and bunkers “located in civilian areas, many of which were near or inside civilian buildings and structures such as schools, kindergartens, mosques and playgrounds,” according to a statement released yesterday by the Israeli military, which began its ground operations destroying the tunnels on Oct. 27. Before the war broke out, Hamaas said it had hundreds of kilometers of tunnels to serve as operational bases. Out of the 800 shafts discovered, 500 have been destroyed by methods including “detonation and sealing off.” Ari Rabinovitch reports for Reuters.

The IDF have refuted claims that it had prior knowledge of Hamas’ plans following a recent report by the New York Times saying Israel had known of the attack plan for over a year. “It’s ridiculous to try to promote any conspiracy theory,” IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said in a live briefing held on X. Conricus added that “the IDF failed to deliver what it was supposed to deliver – that is protection, and security – for Israelis” on Oct. 7. He added that after Israel defeats Hamas,  “a professional inquiry will go through everything with a fine-toothed comb.”  BBC News reports.

Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet said yesterday in a recording aired by Israel’s public broadcaster that the Israeli “cabinet has set us a goal, in street talk, to eliminate Hamas. This is our Munich. We will do this everywhere, in Gaza, in the West Bank, in Lebanon, in Turkey, in Qatar. It will take a few years but we will be there to do it.” The reference to Munich relates to the 1972 killing of 11 Israeli Olympic team members when gunmen from the Palestinian Black September group attacked the Munich games, and Israel responded by carrying out targeted killings of the suspected perpetrators and organizers over several years. Maayan Lubell reports for Reuters.

Israel issued a new order for people to evacuate out of Khan Younis today, as its ground campaign in southern Gaza continues. The IDF posted a map on X this morning identifying which part of the city needed to be immediately evacuated, with arrows pointing south and west, urging people to head toward the Egyptian border. Meanwhile, IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the “IDF continues to extend its ground operation against Hamas centers in all of the Gaza Strip.” Arafat Barbakh reports for Reuters.

Israel risks “strategic defeat” in its war with Hamas if it fails to “avoid civilian casualties” and “prevent violence by settlers in the West Bank,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned on Saturday. Austin’s comments were made at the Reagan National Defense Forum where he confirmed that he has “personally pushed Israeli leaders” to limit civilian casualties. Top U.S. officials have made increasingly public comments expressing caution and warnings to Israel about the death toll in the Gaza Strip. Peter Martin reports for Bloomberg."

Edit to add the below regarding drone attacks in the Red-Sea:

A U.S. warship shot down three drones after three commercial vessels in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles launched by the Iran-backed Yemen Houthis yesterday, the U.S. military has said in a statement. The Houthis have claimed two of the attacks and while the U.S. military has not said its navy ships were targeted, it said there is “every reason to believe that these attacks, while launched by the Houthis in Yemen, are fully enabled by Iran. These attacks represent a direct threat to international commerce and maritime security.” Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree did not mention any U.S. vessel involvement, but said, “the Yemeni armed forces continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Red Sea until the Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops.” Iran has not directly commented on the incident, although Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian commented that, “if the current situation continues, the region will enter a new phase…all parties who are after igniting a war are warned.” Jon Gambrell reports for AP News."

lousubcap

Monday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Former National Security Adviser John Bolton urged Congress to “act quickly” to support Ukraine, otherwise “Russia will win.” Speaking at an interview yesterday, he added that, “I think people in the House and the Senate should press Biden harder to develop a winning strategy with Ukraine, not just preventing Ukraine from losing, but figure out how Ukraine can win.” The Biden administration has stood by Ukraine with military aid, although support has split the GOP and made Congressional approval more difficult for such funding and military support agreements. Nick Robertson reports for The Hill. 

Russian forces hit a command post of Ukraine’s air defense in the central city of Dnipro, the Russian defense ministry said yesterday. The ministry said it used combined strikes of unmanned aerial vehicles, missile forces, artillery, and army aviation. Vladimir Soldatkin reports for Reuters.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said defenses must be increased across the front line and that the “building of structures” must be sped up, as his country enters “a whole new phase of war” this winter. Zelenskyy said “maximum attention” must be paid to eastern towns in the Donetsk region. Jessica Parker and Paul Kirby report for BBC News."

JohnInCarolina

http://twitter.com/PeterHotez/status/1732002693588148370?s=20

lousubcap

Tuesday Israel-Hamas update:

Almost 1.9 million people — over 80 percent of the population — have been displaced across the Gaza Strip since the war broke out on Oct. 7, according to an update yesterday by the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). The U.N. agency “has been able to verify that 117 incidents have occurred at 85 UNRWA premises since the beginning of the war. 30 installations were hit directly and 55 sustained collateral damage… [and] has received reports of the military use of its facilities on at least five occasions.” 

The situation in Gaza is becoming “apocalyptic” with “no safe place to go,” Martin Griffiths, the top U.N. emergency relief official warned in a post on X yesterday. “People are being ordered to move again, with little to survive on, forced to make one impossible choice after another,” he added. Meanwhile, today, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said today that its troops have “completed the encirclement of the Jabalia refugee camp.” Caitlin Stephen Hu, Richard Roth, Mia Alberti, and Kareem El Damanhoury report for CNN.

A ratio of two Palestinian civilians killed in Gaza for every dead Hamas member is “tremendously positive,”  IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus said yesterday. The IDF believe the ratio is correct, citing a briefing by senior Israeli military officials which provided the figure, with Conricus adding that, “I think that our numbers will be corroborated — if  if you compare that ratio to any other conflict in urban terrain between a military and a terrorist organization using civilians as their human shields, and embedded in the civilian population, you will find that that ratio is tremendous, tremendously positive, and perhaps unique in the world.” Mitchell McCluskey reports for CNN.

Russian President Vlaidimir Putin will make a one-day trip to Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. tomorrow to discuss bilateral relations, the Israel-Hamas war, and other international issues, the Kremlin confirmed today. The trip was first announced yesterday by Russian Foreign Affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, although the date of the visit was only announced today. The trip comes before a visit to Moscow by Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Thursday. Putin is currently subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, but neither the U.A.E or Saudi Arabia have signed the ICC’s founding treaty. AP News reports.

Israel has assembled a system of large pumps it could use to flood Hamas’ network of tunnels under the Gaza Strip with seawater, in a tactic that would not only push fighters out from underground refuge, but also threaten Gaza’s water supply, according to U.S. officials. The IDF-assembled seawater pumps — which draw seawater from the Mediterranean Sea and have the capacity to move thousands of cubic meters of water per hour into the tunnels — would cause severe flooding within weeks. Officials said Israel informed the US of the option last month but there has not been any update on how close they are to carrying out the plan or if they are going ahead with it. “We are not sure how successful pumping will be since nobody knows the details of the tunnels and the ground around them. It’s impossible to know if that will be effective because we don’t know how seawater will drain in tunnels no one has been in before,” one official said. The IDF have declined to comment on the specific flooding plan, but confirmed that it is “operating to dismantle Hamas’ terror capabilities in various ways, using different military and technological tools.” Nancy A. Youssef, Warren P. Strobel, and Gordon Lubold report for the Wall Street Journal. "

lousubcap

Tuesday Russia-Ukraine update:

"Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy will address U.S. senators on the need for another round of military aid and an update on the state of the war in Ukraine at a classified briefing today via secure video conference, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has announced. The briefing takes place a day before the Senate is scheduled to vote on proceeding to pass legislation for a $106 billion emergency foreign aid package, which would include more than $61 billion for Ukraine. The final details of the package are still being finalized following a Republican-Democrat dispute over adding immigration and asylum policy reforms. Alexander Bolton reports for The Hill. 

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the Western military alliance for Ukraine should be “prepared for bad news,”  saying “wars develop in phases … we have to support Ukraine in both the good and bad times.” The comments were made on Saturday with a German broadcaster ARD. Stoltenberg did not specify details but called on NATO members to increase ammunition production, adding “we’re not able to work together … the more we support Ukraine, the faster the war will end.” Bjarke Smith-Meyer reports for POLITICO.

Russian forces intensified attacks yesterday on the town of Avdiivka, Ukrainian officials said, as Moscow continues its advance through eastern Ukraine. Head of Avdiivka’s military administration, Vitaliy Barabash, told national television on Monday, “Yesterday and today, we have seen a significant increase in artillery shelling … and a great many instances of mortar shelling.There has also been an increase in assault actions.” Much of the fighting in Avdiivka has concentrated on the coking plants and the “industrial zone” outside the town center, which officials say currently remains in Ukraine’s hands. Ron Popeski and Oleksandr Kozhukhar report for Reuters.

Russian air defense systems destroyed or intercepted 41 Ukraine-launched drones overnight and early this morning, the Russian defense ministry said. The ministry added that 26 of the drones were destroyed over Russian territory, while 15 were intercepted over the Crimean Peninsula. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military said it shot down 10 out of 17 drone attacks launched overnight in “various regions” of the country.

The US is running out of time and money to help Ukraine fight the war against Russia, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said yesterday. His comments came after Budget Director Shalanda Young warned House Speaker Mike Johnson in a letter that “cutting off the flow of U.S. weapons and equipment will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield, not only putting at risk the gains Ukraine has made, but increasing the likelihood of Russian military victories.” Ukraine’s ambassador to the US said, “we are all praying and hoping for additional support from the American people,” as aid for Ukraine remains embroiled in Congressional dispute. Stephen Collinson reports for CNN."

HeavyG

lousubcap said:

Tuesday Israel-Hamas update:

...

Israel has assembled a system of large pumps it could use to flood Hamas’ network of tunnels under the Gaza Strip with seawater, in a tactic that would not only push fighters out from underground refuge, but also threaten Gaza’s water supply, according to U.S. officials. The IDF-assembled seawater pumps — which draw seawater from the Mediterranean Sea and have the capacity to move thousands of cubic meters of water per hour into the tunnels — would cause severe flooding within weeks. Officials said Israel informed the US of the option last month but there has not been any update on how close they are to carrying out the plan or if they are going ahead with it. “We are not sure how successful pumping will be since nobody knows the details of the tunnels and the ground around them. It’s impossible to know if that will be effective because we don’t know how seawater will drain in tunnels no one has been in before,” one official said. The IDF have declined to comment on the specific flooding plan, but confirmed that it is “operating to dismantle Hamas’ terror capabilities in various ways, using different military and technological tools.” Nancy A. Youssef, Warren P. Strobel, and Gordon Lubold report for the Wall Street Journal. "

Finally. This ain't rocket science.